His Little Queen
by Lady Rosalie Black
Summary: I don't have the heart to hurt you, that's the last thing I want to do. But I don't have the heart to love you, not the way you want me to. Marauder Era. James/Lily. Sirus/OC. Regulus/OC. Dark.
1. Introductions

**Author's Note:** The last thing I need right now is to start another story, but here you go! I'm going to start off by saying, that it's my final year before attending post secondary education, so it's a busy one for me. I love writing and consider it to be my favourite hobby, but that doesn't mean I always get time to update. I love and appreciate all my readers and will do my utmost best to update as often as I can. I apologize if I take long and keep you guys waiting, because I'll admit it right now that it's going to happen.

That being said, here's some information about the story. It's a Marauder Era story and it takes place during their seventh year and will continue up until the end of the first war. Lily and James are listed as the main pairing, but they're not the only main pairing. This story centres the Marauders, their respective partners (Lily, Marlene and possibly someone for Remus), as well as Regulus and my original character.

Before anyone reads, I'd like to warn you guys, this is going to be a dark story. It depicts Regulus's downward spiral and events from the war, so it's definitely going to have dark themes. Abuse, torture, death, substance use, cursing, rape, etc will all be included. You've been warned, so please, no insults.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this! Let me know what you think.

- Lady Rosalie B.

* * *

**His Little Queen**

Chapter One: Introductions

Placed directly below the Black Lake, the Slytherin common room, usually crowded by its many inhabits now appeared to be virtually empty. Only two students, still wearing their plain black robes required for school coupled with their green and white striped tie, remained inside.

Both students, currently in their sixth year remained in the other's company, though no conversation was being exchanged. The past few years have taken its toll on both students, now leaving them isolated with their thoughts late at night. The decorative skulls, as part of the design of the Slytherin common room, added great effect to the morbid atmosphere in the room caused by these young students. The dungeon-like common room, with its low ceiling and green lamps is what these students called home. It was familiar to them, comforting even. The light around them reflected their house colour, green, not only from the lamps, but also from being located directly underneath the Black Lake, whose bottom crawled with vicious grindylows, known to attack humans and other creatures.

One student, a young sixteen year old girl was situated on the couch, her legs sprawled across the length of it. Her robes were hiked up until her waist, revealing her school skirt underneath, but also her long, toned legs. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, her normally bright, aquamarine eyes looking exhausted and worn out. Her normally neat, dark brunette hair was tied up in a messy bun, as if she couldn't be bothered to care about how she looked at this very moment. Rosalie Lestrange couldn't hide her distress even if she tried.

Standing mere feet away from her, pacing from one side of the common room to the other, was the second student. Another sixteen year old, this time a male, going by the name of Regulus Black. He masked his distress better than Rosalie, but then again, Regulus hid his emotions better than most people. His face was nearly void of any emotion, save for his aristocratic, haughty looks that came merely from being born a Black. His black hair was kept neat and short and it was obvious to all that he was a very good looking fellow. His gray eyes, resembling gunmetal – cold, ruthless, hard-edged but shining all the while – repeatedly fell on Rosalie's tense figure.

Rosalie aimlessly flipped through her sketchbook, hoping for some kind of inspiration to strike her at any given moment. She'd come to conclude that it wasn't the brightest idea she's had. If anything, it just made her feel even worse. Lying in front of her, were tremendous works of art, art that she worked forever on and poured her heart and soul into. She couldn't even remember the last time she sat down somewhere peaceful and tried to draw something either from memory, from her imagination or from something right in front of her. Looking through this book just reminded her just how lost she really was at this point in her life.

'James Potter.'

'What?' She asked, finally tearing her eyes away from her artwork.

Regulus didn't answer her right away and chose to walk towards her instead. Evidently, he had finally gotten tired of pacing around the common room. He grabbed her sketchbook without asking and although it made her roll her eyes, she let it go. He stared at the pictures she drew with a serene sort of calm visible in his grey eyes. Even after all her years of knowing him, Rosalie never could understand Regulus Black all the well. In her opinion, he'd always be a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. She was well aware that Regulus wouldn't appreciate being described using words from a Muggle.

'James Potter,' Regulus said, shutting her sketchbook. 'You should talk to him.'

She raised an eyebrow at him, searching for any signs of insanity. He offered her no explanation and said no more on the topic, choosing to resume his pacing instead. For a second, she almost believed she imagined the words coming out of his mouth.

'Regulus?' She questioned.

He stopped momentarily and looked her in the eye. He had that lost, dark demeanour about him now; the one that usually kept her quiet. This time wasn't any different either. There were times to talk to Regulus and then there were times to keep one's mouth shut. So instead of asking if he'd suddenly gone insane, she gave him a small, reassuring smile. He nodded his head gratefully and Rosalie went back to staring at her sketchbook. Regulus, for a second time, resumed his pacing. Only this time, he had begun talking out loud, more to himself than her, so she ignored the things he said. Like always.

She had other things on her mind now, anyway. Like introducing herself to James Potter.

* * *

Rosalie quickly learned what a rarity it was to find James Potter alone. She actually thought it'd be an impossible task, for she had _never_ seen him without the company of his friends. There he was now though, leaning against the wall, completely oblivious to all that was going on around him. As Rosalie pondered her options, she realized he was probably waiting for someone or something and decided to hurry up before this chance slipped through her fingers.

She walked the short distance between them, paying careful attention not to bump into anyone she passed in the corridors. It was a habit she hadn't been able to get rid of yet, no matter how hard she had tried. All she could think was not to touch those with blood less pure than hers. She knew it was an awful thought, of course, because she now knew that they're no worse than herself. Old habits die hard though.

Just as she was mere foot away from him, James Potter bolted as if he suddenly figured out he had somewhere to be. Rosalie stood frozen in her spot, completely stunned, before sighing in exasperation. She didn't think it was utterly impossible to conclude that Regulus Black had indeed lost his mind. What good could talking to James Potter do her anyway?

Deciding to give up for today, Rosalie headed towards the fourth floor, intending to find some peace in the library so she could work on her Transfiguration essay. Normally, she'd work on her essays late at night with Regulus, but these days, school seemed to be less important to him. Not that Regulus Black actually needed to try in order to get top marks.

Rosalie climbed up the stairs and just as she was about to turn the corner, she felt herself being knocked off her feet and onto the floor.

'Whoa, sorry! Didn't see you there!' James Potter extended his hand, giving her a charming grin as he did so.

'At the speed you were moving, how could you?' Rosalie muttered, before taking his hand.

James grinned in amusement and swiftly took a look at her school tie. He let go of her hand and ran his own through his perpetually messy, jet black hair.

'So Slytherin, what's your name?' James asked.

'Rosalie,' she answered, not offering up her surname.

She did, however, extend her hand. James, being the gentleman that he was, took it and shook it firmly.

'Nice to meet you, Rosalie. Sorry for knocking you over. I'd stay and chat some more but this Head Boy is running super late!' James exclaimed.

He let go of her hand again and continued to run in the direction he was going previously. He had been waiting for his cue, which he completely missed as his thoughts starting to revolve around a certain seventh year, redheaded Gryffindor. He knew not one of his friends would allow that to be a valid excuse, but it was the only one he had. James swerved through the crowd, ignoring the many greetings and strange expressions he got. He practically leapt up the stairs, two at a time until he reached the seventh floor. Even from then on, he still didn't slow down, as he ran down the corridor and headed towards Gryffindor tower.

'Let me in!' James exclaimed at the portrait hole, momentarily forgetting the password in his hurry to get to his friends.

The Fat Lady stared down at him, a slight amused expression on her face, 'Password?'

Just as James was about to reply, the portrait hole swung open, revealing two second year boys. James pushed past them, entered his common room and ran up the stairs, hoping he wasn't too late. He practically stormed into his dormitory, where his three friends; Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were lounging about, each wearing an immaculate grin on their faces.

'I missed it?' James questioned.

He flopped onto his bed, grabbed a pillow and pretended to suffocate himself with it.

'Oi, drama queen, don't die on us yet,' Sirius said, forcibly taking the pillow away from him.

He hurled it playfully at Peter, whose reflexes weren't fast enough to catch or dodge it. Sirius chuckled at this and Remus managed a grin, but James still had the same sour expression on his face.

'Where were you anyway?' Remus questioned.

'Don't say Head Boy duties,' Peter added. 'You can't keep using that as an excuse. It doesn't work... I bet Lily does most of the work anyway.'

'I got distracted,' James said, shrugging. 'A pretty flower entered my mind and I do just as much work as she does.'

'That's even worse!' Sirius exclaimed, punching James's shoulder. 'I think I prefer the Head Boy duties. Merlin, you're worse than Moony now.'

'I take offence to that,' Remus piped up.

'Yeah, Padfoot, no one's worse than Moony,' Peter added, helpfully.

'You both suck,' Remus said, rolling his eyes.

'I would've been here sooner,' James said, ignoring their little squabble, 'but I ran into a Slytherin.'

'Snivellus?' Sirius questioned, raising an eyebrow. 'Because I can think up a million ways to get him back. In fact, I say we go and cook up something right now!'

'No, I mean, I _literally _ran into a Slytherin,' James said, laughing. 'I ran into her so hard, I had to pull her off the ground.'

The three boys begin laughing as well, finding great amusement in their friend's misfortune.

'Anyone we know?' Sirius asked. 'Or was it some first year or something?'

James shrugged, 'she couldn't have been a first year. She didn't look that much younger than us. Maybe just a year or two. She was a pretty little thing, too. I think she said she her name was... Rosalie.'

Sirius snorted, 'you were better off running into Snivellus.'

'You know her?' James questioned.

Sirius rolled his eyes, 'I've had the misfortune of meeting her, yes. She a sixth year, like Regulus.'

'I dunno, Padfoot, maybe she had the misfortune of meeting you,' Remus said.

'Payback?' Sirius asked.

'Yes,' Remus confirmed.

'You suck,' Sirius mimicked.

James rolled his eyes, 'so how'd the prank go?'

The boys grin from ear to ear, 'brilliant.'

James groaned, 'that's the last time I let Lily distract me.'

Sirius let out his infamous bark-like laughter at the thought. James glared at his best friend, who didn't even bother to humour him for just a second. Remus and Peter, hadn't laugh as obnoxiously at his declaration, though both wore knowing grins on their faces.

'What should we do now then?' Peter questioned. 'We didn't plan anything else for the rest of the day.'

'That's because we never plan anything, Wormtail,' Sirius replied, with a mischievous grin. 'Everything's so much more fun that way. Where's the thrill in _planning_?'

'We plan things all the time,' James contradicted. 'Only important things though... like our monthly excursions.'

'And even after all our _brilliant_ planning, I still can't talk you idiots into _not_ coming with me during the full moon,' Remus said, rolling his eyes. 'Maybe if we planned other things, we wouldn't get so many detentions.'

'Where's the fun in that?' James questioned.

'Yeah, Moony!' Sirius agreed, nodding his head along enthusiastically.

'You guys are hopeless,' Remus said, shaking his head.

James shrugged his shoulder, 'wanna go down to the Quidditch pitch?'

'I think Slytherin has it booked,' Sirius replied, sulkily.

James grinned at his friends.

'Even better! Anyone in the mood to visit Regulus?' James questioned.

Sirius mimicked his grin exactly, 'I suppose the look on his face when we show up will be worth it.'

'We'll be kicked out in a second,' Peter said.

'Does that mean you're not coming?' James questioned.

Peter gave James a bewildered stare, 'are you mental? Of course, I'm coming!'

Remus sighed, 'I suppose will, too.'

'As if you were ever going to choose otherwise!' Sirius exclaimed, clapping Remus on the back. 'Let's go!'

James leapt off his bed and made his way to the door, his three friends trailing not too far away from him. All four boys took nothing but their wands, obviously concluding that the Slytherin Quidditch team was all the entertainment that they needed. They casually descended the staircase and left their common, before they made their way outside and onto the Quidditch pitch.

'So, what do you think? Should we try to blend it with the others or just blatantly appear out of nowhere?' Sirius asked.

James, who was to his right, just shrugged in reply.

'Do we actually want to watch them or do we want to get them riled up?' Peter questioned.

'Watch them,' Remus replied. 'You're Head Boy now, remember James?'

'Did you hear something, Padfoot?' James asked, grinning innocently.

'Why, I don't believe I did, Prongs,' Sirius replied, casually. 'I reckon we see if there's anyone there we could blend in with.'

'Just find some pretty Slytherin girl,' Peter added, helpfully.

'They don't exist,' Sirius joked. 'They're all, power-hungry, gold-digging, ambitious, cold-hearted, pathetic, whiny little...'

'You lost your train of thought, didn't you?' Remus asked, with a smile.

'It happens very often,' James said, feigning sadness. 'We must be patient with this one. He's _slow_.'

'Oh yeah? Why don't you two take your wands and shove it up your – '

'We're here!' Peter interrupted.

James chuckled and increased his pace, already grinning at the sight of students on their brooms. Slytherin or not, James loved anything that had to do with Quidditch, even if it was in association with his rival team. He was competitive, of course, but he would never deny how well the Slytherins played. He was expecting them to build up a good team this year and was eager to see who showed up for try-outs. He already had an idea of who to put on _his_ team.

The boy reached the front gate of the Quidditch pitch, eyeing the hopeful students who showed up for practice.

'You think they'll have a girl on the team this year?' Peter questioned.

'I don't know. Would your brother let a girl on?' James asked, looking at Sirius.

Sirius snorted, 'I doubt it.'

'I think that one's trying to persuade him,' Remus said, pointing to their left.

'Hey, that's the girl I knocked over!' James exclaimed.

Sirius rolled his eyes, but he, along with the three other boys strained their ears to listen to the conversation between Rosalie and Regulus. The two weren't far from the boys, who out of pure luck, had not been spotted by anyone else yet.

'I can't believe you won't put me on the team,' Rosalie said, scoffing.

'No girls,' Regulus said, simply.' Don't take it personally, it's got nothing to do with how well you play. It's just our rule.'

'It's a sexist rule. I'm better than half the guys you're going to end up putting on the team!' Rosalie defended.

'I told you, it's got nothing to do with your skills,' Regulus said, dismissively. 'I wouldn't say those things out loud either, if I were you.'

'Regulus, just let me try out!' Rosalie insisted.

'You're going to do nothing but get yourself into trouble if you try out. I've seen you play, Rose, but it doesn't make a difference. I've made up my mind and I'm not changing it,' Regulus said, his patience wearing thin. 'Now, your friends are over by the stands, go join them. I have a team to build up.'

'As if I'm going to stay,' Rosalie snapped.

She turned away to leave, but Regulus grabbed her hand.

'I'll make it up to you, okay? You should leave anyway, though. People are starting to look,' Regulus said, sighing. 'I'll see you tonight?'

'Don't count on it,' Rosalie said, pulling her hand away from his. 'I'll see you some other time, Regulus.'

This time, Regulus didn't stop her as she left. She started towards the gate and caught sight of the Marauders.

'Hello again,' James said, sheepishly.

Rosalie slowly walked towards the four boys.

'Go away. None of you are allowed here, they're having try outs,' Rosalie said.

'I think someone's unhappy they didn't make the team,' Peter snickered.

Rosalie's eyes flashed with anger.

'Regulus!' She called.

Regulus had torn his gaze from his potential teammates, upon hearing Rosalie's voice. His eyes immediately found her and within seconds, he understood why she had called out to him.

'What're you guys doing here?' Regulus exclaimed, angrily.

James feigned shock and stared at Rosalie, 'you completely sold us out! And after I so kindly helped you off the ground!'

'What'd you expect, James? She's a Slytherin,' Sirius said, leaning against the wall of the gate.

Rosalie's eyes had briefly fallen on him, before Regulus was at her side.

'Go away. I can handle it,' he said, without looking at her.

James made a snorting sound.

'Come now, Reg. Let's be nice to little girls. She fell awfully hard on her arse today,' James said, grinning cheekily.

Rosalie paid no heed to James Potter, but one glare in Regulus's direction let him know what she was thinking. It takes a while to get past James's obnoxious personality and it was something Rosalie had to be patient with. After arguing with Regulus over something that shouldn't have been an issue in the first place, however, she had no patience to spare. She swiftly left the boys to sort out things for themselves.

Regulus had trouble tearing his eyes away from her as she left.

'I'm not in the mood, just go,' Regulus said, lazily.

'She does look like quite a handful,' James said, grinning. 'Is she your newest girl? What happened to the blonde... what was her name?'

'Natasha. I'm still with her,' Regulus replied.

'Then what's with Rosalie?' James questioned.

Regulus noted that James already knew who she was. He hid his frown, not realizing just how quickly Rosalie would take to his advice. He had thought that he would have to spend months trying to convince her to introduce herself, before giving up all together. He was wrong. And that wasn't a good thing.

He shrugged, 'I barely even know her.'

Sirius, who knew otherwise, didn't say a word to contradict his brother.

'James? This isn't as exciting as I'd hope it'd be,' Sirius said, looking bored.

'Yeah, let's go,' Remus said, looking uninterested himself. 'There's no way we can stay any longer anyhow.

James shrugged, 'see you around, Reg!'

Regulus nodded, but didn't bother with any verbal goodbyes. He glanced towards the castle once more, at Rosalie's retreating figure, right before he had stared directly at his brother. If Sirius noticed, he certainly didn't say anything, and waited instead for his friends to head back to the castle.

'What should we do now?' Peter asked, as the boys had begun to make their way back to the castle.

Sirius shrugged, 'I don't know about you guys, but I've got a date with Marlene. I'll see you later.'

Sirius broke away from his friends to look for Marlene. She wasn't his girlfriend, at least not yet, but he was rather fond of her. He saw himself sticking around her for quite a bit of time. They've been friends for years and had recently started going on a few dates, which Sirius enjoyed immensely, not only to his surprise but everyone else's as well.

* * *

As the night went on, the students residing in the Slytherin common room had begun to disappear one by one, leaving to head for their dormitories for the night. It wasn't until very early morning, about two hours past midnight, that only two people remained in the common room. Of course, it was the same two people every night.

'I thought she'd never leave,' Rosalie said, as soon as Natasha disappeared around the corner.

'You made it clear I wouldn't be seeing you tonight,' Regulus reminded her, taking a seat beside her now.

'Well, if I didn't leave for my dorm, couldn't you have concluded otherwise?' Rosalie asked, her annoyance evident in her tone.

Regulus rolled his eyes, 'what do you want me to do, Rose? Ask my beautiful, sexy girlfriend to stop snogging me so I can secretly hang out with _you_?'

Rosalie wasn't in the mood for this tonight.

'Goodnight Regulus,' she said, coolly.

She pushed herself off the couch, only to have Regulus pull her back down. She sighed and obliged which only made Regulus sigh in return. The two of them normally got along so well, but ever since their sixth year began, they had done nothing but slowly get on each other's nerves. It was quite infuriating, considering the rather close, albeit secret, relationship that they had together. Neither of them could imagine their world without the other and have, ever since they were young children, always confided their secrets, hopes and dreams in one another.

'You talked to James Potter,' Regulus stated.

'Barely,' Rosalie replied. 'I've been _trying _to, but he keeps himself rather preoccupied. I had the extreme misfortune of having him run into me today and knock me to the floor.'

'Are you still going to talk to him?' Regulus questioned.

'If you want me to,' Rosalie answered, nonchalantly.

'I do,' Regulus says. 'Keep talking to him.'

'Why?' Rosalie asks, with a frown. 'What exactly are you up to?'

'I just want you to see how wrong you are, Rose. If you talk to James, you'll see that it's just a little rebellious phase,' Regulus said, confidently. 'James Potter will annoy the living hell out of you, with his self-righteous arrogance, and you'll see that you want nothing to do with people like them.'

'That's kind of extreme, don't you think?' Rosalie asked, frowning at Regulus.

'I don't know how else to help you,' Regulus stated, bluntly. 'You don't even know what kind of trouble you're setting yourself up for.'

She leaned against Regulus's chest and he put his arm around her.

'I'll be okay, Regulus,' she insisted. 'I have you to protect me, right?'

He nodded his head.

'You can't talk to _him_, though,' Regulus said, suddenly.

She frownd, 'I _can't_ talk to James now?'

'Not James. Sirius. You can't speak to him. Leave him out of this completely,' Regulus practically commanded.

'I haven't talked to Sirius in _years_. In fact, I could barely remember the last conversation we had!' Rosalie exclaimed.

'Then it shouldn't be a problem,' Regulus replied.

'Why would I talk to Sirius?' Rosalie questioned.

'You wouldn't. I'm telling you, just in case,' Regulus said. 'It's hard to find James without Sirius, that's all. They're inseparable.'

Rosalie's eyes softened and she kissed his cheek, comfortingly.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered.

Regulus kissed the top of her head, in return.

'Don't worry about it. I'm too exhausted to do this tonight,' Regulus said. 'Just don't bother with Sirius, okay? I mean, he's had to deal with this shit for years and the last thing he'd want is for you to annoy him.'

'Gee, thanks,' Rosalie replied, sarcastically.

'He left, Rosalie,' Regulus stated, stoically. 'Don't bother him.'

'I _don't_ talk to him, Regulus!' Rosalie exclaimed.

'Good, then keep in that way,' Regulus nearly snapped. 'He hates you. Keep it that way.'

'I don't think he cares enough to hate me,' Rosalie said, rolling her eyes. 'I think I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight Reggie.'

Regulus removed his arm as Rosalie stood up once more. He didn't look at her as she made her way up the stairs and towards her dormitory. His thoughts rested solely on James Potter and Sirius Black. When he was certain Rosalie could no longer see him, he pulled up his left sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark branded onto his flesh. He stared, almost transfixed, at the skull with the snake protruding from its mouth. He hadn't told Rosalie that he'd become a Death Eater just yet. In time, he would but first he needed her to snap back to reality.

Another thought crossed his mind at that moment too.

He hadn't told Sirius either.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, that's it for now. Can't say when I'm going to update next but I hope you guys enjoyed reading it!

- Lady Rosalie B.


	2. Black Brothers' Secret

Smileyface Devil

Hi there! I'm glad you like the story so far and I'll try to keep it as original as I possibly can.

Hopefully Regulus's intentions become clear later on. I haven't started focusing much on him just yet, but when I do and when we get more of an insight into his life and how he thinks, hopefully it'll all make sense. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm still in the introductory stages of this story, so bear with me! I promise the plot will pick up eventually, but for now, it's important to get to know everyone a little bit. The last thing I'd want is to rush this story. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

- Rosalie Black

* * *

**His Little Queen**

Chapter Two: Black Brothers' Secret

For the twelfth time during their Transfiguration class, James crumpled up a piece of paper and hurled it at the back of Remus's head. Setting his quill down, Remus turned around slowly to glare at James.

'Alright Moony?' James asked, grinning.

'Don't you have _anything_ better to do?' Remus questioned, slightly irritated.

'I can switch to Wormtail if you like,' James offered.

Peter turned his beady little eyes towards James and shook his head frantically.

'I'm trying to finish this! I can't get it right,' Peter exclaimed. 'You said you'd help me, Moony.'

'How could I help if this moron,' he said pointing at James, 'keeps throwing things at me.'

'Well if Sirius was here, we wouldn't have a problem,' James said, sulking in his seat, 'but _someone_ was too lazy to get out of bed this morning.'

'_Someone_ didn't show up to our dorm _until_ this morning,' Peter added, snickering. 'You think he had a good time with Marlene then?'

'He always has a good time with Marly,' James replied, shrugging. 'But I'm bored and I'm done the assignment. I've got nothing to do, so you guys have officially become my source of entertainment.'

'McGonagall is staring at us,' Peter said, helpfully. 'We should get to work.'

'_I'm_ done,' James said, grinning. 'It's not my fault you two are hopelessly slow.'

'Remind me to annoy you when we're in Defence Again the Dark Arts class,' Remus said, turning back around. 'And don't you even _think_ about throwing anything else at me.'

'Or me,' Peter said, turning back around as well.

James sighed and pushed his chair back, causing it to scrap against the floor as he got out of his seat. If he had nothing to do in class and no one to keep him entertained, he figured he could just go for a walk. He'd be less distracting that way anyhow.

'Professor, I'm done all my work,' James said, presenting his usual charming grin. 'Mind if I go for a walk?'

'Yes, Potter, I do mind,' Professor McGonagall replied, not even looking up at him. 'Go back to your seat.'

James decided to change tactics.

'But Professor, I _really_ have to go to the bathroom,' James said.

To make his point clear, James started to do a rather ridiculous dance, hopping from one foot to the other. It took all his strength not to laugh at the look on McGonagall's face. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Remus, Peter and a few of his other classmates have already noticed him. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, he could've sworn he saw the corners of Lily's mouth twitching. He felt extremely satisfied, especially when Professor McGonagall gave him permission to go.

Grinning at Peter and Remus, James made his way out of the classroom in search of some other form of entertainment. He didn't bother to wander around, hoping to run into someone. He took out the Marauder's Map from his pocket and scanned it for anyone else who may be out of class.

His eyes fell on someone wandering around the first floor and he grinned, believing he had found his source of entertainment. He walked down the corridor, turned the corner and got on the staircase just before it started moving. He continued on this path until he reached the first floor.

'Mischief managed,' he said, quietly.

The contents of the map disappeared and he swiftly stuffed the paper into the pocket of his robes, before turning the corner. He smirked slightly as he saw Rosalie. She clearly hadn't realized that he was standing less than a foot away from her. She was however, looking from right to left, clearly waiting for someone.

'I should give you detention for skipping class,' James said, casually.

To his displeasure, Rosalie had not jumped, neither startled nor alarmed by his presence. She merely turned around casually, quirking an eyebrow at him.

'You're out of class too,' she replied, simply.

'But I'm Head Boy,' James informed her.

'So?' She questioned.

'I get special privileges. I'm not about to give myself detention, am I?' James asked, a smile tugging at his lips. 'But little Slytherin girls who should be in class deserve detention, don't you think?'

'I think you abuse your power,' Rosalie said, rolling her eyes.

'You should know, Slytherin,' James teased.

Rosalie was not impressed, 'just give me detention and go away.'

'I think I'm just going to walk you back to class,' James said, annoyed that he was still bored.

He had been hoping this Slytherin girl that he had just met would turn out to be more interesting than she was. It seemed, however, that she couldn't be more uncomfortable in his presence. He resisted the urge to snort at the thought. He had concluded that Rosalie was probably some prejudiced, stereotypical Slytherin, who couldn't be bothered to give a blood traitor like him the time of day. Not that he minded, of course. She was just one more person he could add to their prank list.

She sighed and looked around her surroundings one last time.

'Fine. I'm in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom,' she said, walking ahead of him.

'What day do you want detention?' James asked, grinning.

He walked just slightly behind her, leaving almost no space between the two of them. He intended to annoy her until he got some form of reaction. This was, of course, the norm for James potter. He knew from experience that not everybody, especially the Slytherins, could put up with him. Knowing that he could provoke a reaction from them always entertained him, though. The ability to get under anyone's skin was a rare skill, one that he was very thankful for. It was worth it just to see the looks on people's faces once they finally snapped.

'Do you get some kind of weird joy from tormenting students?' Rosalie asked, still walking ahead.

'I wouldn't call it tormenting, per say,' he replied. 'Do I enjoy provoking my fellow school mates and watching them make a fool out of themselves when they finally blow up? Definitely.'

'And what did I do to deserve the misfortunate of becoming your latest target?' Rosalie asked.

'Ah, you see, that's very simple, Rosalie. This misfortune has befallen you simply because I ran into you the other day,' James said, smiling. 'I'd call it fate.'

'Fate,' Rosalie stated, rolling her eyes.

James nods his head, 'yes, fate. We were meant to meet and I was clearly meant to _torment_ you.'

Rosalie ignored him at this point, choosing instead to concentrate on her own thoughts. Whether or not James actually thought the two of them were meant to meet or if he was just messing with her, she didn't know. Whatever he thought, Rosalie knew better. They met because she had been wanting to and she had wanted to meet him under Regulus's orders. She thought about his words carefully; about how he thought she'd meet James Potter and hate him so much that she'd realize that what she's been taught all her life was true. People like James Potter – blood traitors – were beneath her. They were annoying scum, who dirtied their bloodlines and they were people she shouldn't associated herself with.

Rosalie couldn't remember ever believing that she as better than anyone else just because she was born into a purely magical bloodline. Until recently though, she hadn't acted against the beliefs that have been instilled into her since she was a toddler. She knew it bothered not only Regulus, but everyone around her. She was beginning to rebel, letting her thoughts finally reach the surface. Regulus wanted these thoughts suppressed. Right then, she resisted the urge to turn around and stare at James. It was true that he was annoying, but did Regulus really expect her to hate all blood traitors, half-bloods and Muggleborns just because she disliked James?

It wasn't that she even disliked James. To be quite honest, she still didn't know a damn thing about him. In fact, she couldn't care less about him. If it was what Regulus wanted though, she wouldn't fight against it. After all, some things that were taught to her stuck.

And she was taught to obey.

Hearing those thoughts cross her mind made her cringe slightly, but she couldn't fight it off. It was like second nature to her now, a sort of reflex she had learned to follow. It's funny how some rules stuck, whole others were completely disregarded.

Rosalie's class was just around the corner and down the hall. Unfortunately for her though, she had finally found who she had been waiting for. Alas, he had not noticed James Potter right behind her.

'Sorry, I had a hard time getting away,' Regulus said, appearing before her.

James watched in amusement as Regulus pulled Rosalie back around the corner. He had grabbed her by the waist and gently pushed her against the wall, grinning widely. James leaned against the wall with a lazy smile on his face, as he watched Regulus act the same way with Rosalie that he had seen Sirius do with other girls so many times. There was no denying the charms of the Black brothers and James could tell Regulus was using every ounce of his to impress Rosalie.

Regulus didn't let her go even when it was obvious Rosalie wasn't walking away. He held her almost possessively, but in a weirdly sweet kind of way. James grinned, already knowing that he would never let Regulus live this down. He doubted Sirius would either, when he told him about it. The only reason he hadn't interrupted them yet was because he was surprised at what he saw.

The way he held her, the way he looked at her, and the way he smiled at her almost made James think that Regulus actually felt something for this girl. Over the years, he had witnessed the same behaviour from both Regulus and Sirius. Neither kept a girlfriend for very long. In fact, neither of them had actually been in a serious and committed relationship. They both liked to date, to keep their options open and to sleep around. It wasn't a bad thing, necessarily. It was understandable that they didn't want to be tied down at such a young age. James himself never kept a girl for too long, though certainly longer than Regulus and Sirius _combined_.

Suddenly, James saw something that made him frown. It was a rather odd sight for him to behold. Regulus had grabbed Rosalie's left arm gently and turned it over, revealing the inside of her forearm. He hadn't noticed it before, but she had stars drawn on it starting from her wrist. Regulus grinned, leaned down and kissed every single of those stars. It didn't take a genius to realize James had witnessed something very personal between the two of them.

'Regulus, stop!' Rosalie exclaimed, pulling her arm away.

When Regulus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, James intervened.

'Alright there, Reg?' He asked, unable to keep the smirk off his face.

Holding back a sigh, Regulus pulled away from Rosalie.

'How long were you standing there?' Regulus questioned, completely ignoring Rosalie at this point.

'I was walking her back to class, so don't worry, I saw everything,' James replied, finding great amusement in this. 'Does Natasha know about her?'

'I'm leaving,' Rosalie announced.

Regulus didn't even get a chance to stop her as she turned back around the corner, heading back to class. Regulus didn't look at her as she left, but the glare was clear on his face. He looked directly at James, his his gaze intensifying at his smirk.

'What? It isn't my fault she left,' James said, shrugging. 'I thought you said you barely knew her?'

'So?' Regulus questioned. 'Since when did I have to be truthful with you?'

James snorted, 'I'm just saying. Lighten up, Reg.'

'I'm going back to class,' Regulus declared.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and James was at his side in a second.

'I'll walk you,' he offered, the smirk still plastered on his face.

Regulus ignored him.

'I like her,' James said, casually. 'She's fiery.'

Regulus stopped walking and James walked a few paces ahead of him before stopping as well. He frowned and turned around, only to frown deeper when he saw the look on Regulus's face.

'Something wrong?' He asked.

'She isn't fiery,' Regulus said, almost defensively.

'Er...that's a good thing,' James said, awkwardly. 'I would think you'd like that in a girl.'

'She isn't fiery,' Regulus repeated. 'She's docile and obedient.'

Regulus pushed past James and decided to head back to class. Confused by what just happened, James didn't follow and had no desire to walk him to class anyway. He taught Regulus's comment was rather odd. It was true that James didn't know much about Rosalie, but from what he inferred, she was pretty fiery. After all, this was the second time James saw Rosalie walk away from Regulus when he clearly didn't want her to go. It was also clear that although Regulus had a girlfriend, he was chasing her. While he was sure Rosalie was just as fond of Regulus, he hadn't seen any proof of it yet.

Shrugging, James decided to go back to class.

* * *

After dinner, the Gryffindor common room was crowded by its many inhabitants. Some were enjoying their night, playing various games, while others were huddled together, trying to get some homework done for the night. The Marauders were pretty much in the centre of the room, hogging the comfortable squashy sofas. James and Sirius were finishing up a game of exploding snap, cheered on by Marlene and Peter. Lily and Remus were busy finishing their charms homework, but looked up every once in a while, after hearing a card exploding followed by a round of laughter.

'Are you two done yet?' Marlene asked, once the game ended.

She placed herself on Sirius's lap and he wore a huge grin on his face, not minding it the least bit. James grinned at his friend's expression before staring at Remus and Lily.

'She's right, you know. How much time does the Charms homework take?' James asked. 'I haven't even looked at it yet.'

'Yeah, well don't ask to copy my homework tonight,' Remus said, putting his papers away. 'I'm done.'

'Me too,' Lily said, putting her homework into her bag. 'How'd the game go?'

'I burned my hand!' Sirius exclaimed, showing his right hand as proof.

'It barely even tinged your pinky,' Peter said, while James snickered.

'Nonsense! Look at it! I look like I have a bloody mutation!' Sirius said, exaggerating immensely.

'I can kiss it and make it better,' Marlene offered.

Sirius didn't protest as Marlene leaned down, puckered her lips and loudly kissed Sirius's hand.

James groaned, 'get a room!'

'Are you sure about that, James?' Remus questioned. 'We all kind of share a dorm.'

'You're not coming into ours!' Lily exclaimed, as Marlene opened her mouth to say something. 'I can't take another night of your moaning and bed squeaking.'

Marlene blushed slightly and playfully hit Sirius.

'I thought you said you silenced the curtains!'

'Well, I _meant_ to,' Sirius defended. 'I must've been too enraptured by your beauty to notice.'

Marlene burst out laughing, 'what a load of rubbish!'

'Yeah, Sirius, that was bad even for you,' Peter said, while the others agreed.

'Whatever, what'd I miss in class today?' Sirius questioned.

'Not much,' James replied. 'It was easy stuff.'

'Speak for yourself,' Peter grumbled. 'I never ended up getting that spell right. Thanks for the help, Remus!'

'It isn't my fault you're utterly hopeless.' Remus said, smiling. 'Anyway, I blame James for distracting us.'

'I did not such thing! I left class, remember!' James exclaimed, defensively.

'_Before_ that,' Remus countered.'

'Oh...right,' James smiled sheepishly at them.

'Where'd you go anyway?' Lily asked. 'You know, after you did that little potty dance.'

Sirius sat up straight, his eyes gleaming with laughter, 'I'm sorry, potty dance?'

James rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.

'That was nothing. McGonagall wouldn't let me leave class, so I had to think of something. I thought it'd look more believable that I had to go to the washroom if I was jumpy.' James said.

'There's a difference between acting jumpy and looking idiotic,' Lily teased.

James shrugged, 'it worked, didn't it?'

'So where'd you go?' Marlene asked.

'Oh, I ran into Rosalie,' James said, sending a grin in Sirius's direction. 'She was skipping class and waiting for Regulus.'

'She's in Slytherin?' Lily questioned.

'You know her?' James asked.

She nods her head, 'yeah, I do! I met her in my second year, actually. We talked a few times. I helped her out a little.'

'Yeah?' Sirius questioned, looking surprised. 'She actually talked to you?'

'Yeah. I felt so bad for the poor girl. She didn't want to go to her common room because it was in the dungeons. She was so terrified and I had to convince her that being in Slytherin wasn't so bad,' Lily replied. 'I talked her into going in eventually.'

'So...basically, you lied?' James asked, grinning.

Lily threw a book at him, which he dodged with ease.

'I didn't lie!' She defended. 'Anyway, what was I supposed to do? Encourage her fear? She clearly didn't want to be in Slytherin.'

'Of course she did,' Sirius interrupted.

Marlene turned her head slightly and looked at Sirius.

'Do you know her?' She questioned. 'Is she dating your brother or something?'

'Nah, he's still with the blue-eyed blonde. That prefect... Natasha!' James replied. 'I don't think he's gonna be with her for long though. You should see the way he looks at Rosalie.'

Sirius rolls his eyes.

'Do we have nothing better to do than to talk about this?' Sirius asked. 'I, for one, would rather play another game of exploding snap.'

'Sure, but just one for thing! I saw something odd between the two of them.' James said, frowning.

'What?' Sirius asked, rather impatiently.

'I don't know, she had stars drawn on her arm and he kissed them. It seemed like a sort of ritual,' James said, running his hand through his hair. 'It seems stupid when I say it, but you should've seen it. It was rather... sweet. Regulus is a good kid and all... but this seemed so...'

James trailed off.

'Stupid,' Sirius said, snorting.

James frowned at him.

'Actually, it _was_ sweet. I just wasn't expecting something like that from him,' James said, shrugging. 'I kind of like her.'

'Wait till you get to know her,' Sirius said, his dislike for her now evident.

'Do _you_ know her?' Marlene questioned.

'No,' Sirius replied, smoothly.

'Doesn't seem like it,' Lily added. 'Anyway, it's probably a little intimate secret between the two of them. Sounds pretty romantic to me.'

'Don't you guys have to patrol tonight?' Sirius asked, annoyed. 'Or would you rather skip that to lounge around here, talking about my brother and some random girl?'

'He's right,' Lily said, getting off the couch. 'Marlene, would you mind watching my stuff?'

Her friend nodded and Lily walked towards the portrait hole, after a quick goodbye to all her friends. James wasn't too far behind her, and smiled at everyone as he left. He couldn't help but feel as if the atmosphere around them was a little tense. He put it out of his mind though, as he and Lily started their patrolling duties. Within seconds, they were walking down the seventh floor corridor, neither saying a word for a very long time.

James got too caught up in his thoughts. He probably should've been thinking about Sirius, but he wasn't. After all, when the time was right, he knew his best mate would confide in him. Until then, it was best to leave things are they were. No, right now his thoughts rested on Lily Evans.

Trust be told, James hated patrols. He wasn't too fond of his Head Boy duties, either. Sure, he liked the title of it, he felt honoured by it and loved the privileges that came with being Head Boy. The best one being that he got to spend a lot of his time with the Head Girl, and his long time crush, Lily. Mostly though, he wasn't too fond of it. He never wanted to be a prefect when he was younger and being Head Boy wasn't much different, besides acquiring more responsibilities. James now had to juggle being Head Boy, being Quidditch captain, being prankster extraordinaire, and handling his classes (particularly preparing for his N.E.W.T's at the end of the year). Not to mention there was a war looming over everyone's heads and he had to decide what exactly he wanted to do with his life.

He had gotten many offers to play for the best Quidditch teams out there. He never thought he'd do anything _other_ than play Quidditch for a living. Could he really do that though when people were dying left and right? Now, his own parents had been Aurors back in their days, and rather good ones at that. James had briefly considered going down the same path and while it appealed to him, he wasn't particularly keen on working for the ministry.

Yes, one would not guess that _these_ were the thoughts of James Potter. Most people would assume, of course, that this was the result of James growing up and maturing. That was all a load of rubbish, in his opinion. Sure, he acted less arrogant and obnoxious, and he stopped asking Lily out at every opportunity he got, but that was basically it. He still got just as many detentions as ever, played as many pranks as before and broke as many rules as one could possibly break. Truth be told, he didn't know _what_ Dumbledore was thinking in making him Head Boy. He had come to the conclusion, along with Peter, Remus and Sirius, that Dumbledore was merely off his rocker. In his opinion, Remus was the obvious and best choice for Head Boy. Of course, Remus disagreed but that boy was humble to no end.

As for Lily, that was simple. They had spent five years in school and they weren't friends. They've barely ever made it through a single conversation without it ending in an argument. She pointed out his flaws regularly and they argued to no end. For years on end, James believed that all Lily needed was to give him a chance, to go on a single date with him, to look him in the eye and _then_ she'd realize they were meant to be together. Another part of him, though, hated the constant rejection and hated thinking that the girl who constantly consumed his thoughts hated _him_.

He decided to tone things down a little and his new goal was to befriend Lily Evans. He was half right, of course. Once Lily got to know him, she decided he wasn't all that bad and that she didn't hate him. She finally saw all his positive qualities. He spent his entire sixth year trying to create a meaningful friendship with Lily and it turned out to be rather easy, once she let her guard down, of course. Now James couldn't imagine life without her. He had created a friendship that would last until the end of time.

Not that he ever stopped loving her. He had never been surer that he actually _loved_ her. He stared at her now, from the corner of his eyes. He watched as she walked almost angelically down the hallways, looking like utter perfection. The way her beautiful, almond-shaped, bright green eyes shone; the way her thick, dark red hair bounced as she took each step; the adorable way she scrunched up her face when she was deep in thought made James's heart beat faster and faster.

And he felt like this _every_ time he saw her.

'Was it just me, or was Sirius acting strange back there?' Lily questioned, pulling James out of his thoughts.

He sighed, not feeling up to discussing this right now.

'Regulus is a bit of a touchy subject for him. Their relationship was all but destroyed when Sirius ran away and came to live with me,' James explained. 'But it's been more than a year now and they've been doing a good job rebuilding their relationship, so I don't know. Things are still rocky and tense, I suppose.'

'I've never known Sirius to turn down a chance at hearing about his brother,' Lily pointed out. 'Even when things weren't going well between the two of them, he always seemed more than eager to hear what you had to say about him.'

James shrugged, 'Sirius will tell me when the time comes. It's best not to push him with these things.'

'I don't think Regulus is the problem,' Lily informed James. 'I think it's got to do more with that girl...Rosalie.'

'Well, he doesn't even know her, so I doubt it. Perhaps he just thinks she's a bad influence though. Who knows? I barely even know her,' James replied.

'It didn't seem like he didn't know her,' Lily pointed out. 'Besides, I think it's rather impossible that that he doesn't know her.'

'Why's that?' James questioned, curiously. 'What do you know about her?'

'I know her name is Rosalie _Lestrange_,' Lily said, casually. 'Her brothers used to go here. They're – '

'Death Eaters,' James whispered, almost inaudibly.

Lily nods her head, 'Sirius knew that family personally, didn't he?'

'Yeah…his cousin even married the eldest brother,' James said, before scrunching his face up in disgust. 'Which makes Rosalie his cousin by marriage…And Regulus's as well.'

'Seems like we found the problem then,' Lily said. 'His little brother is chasing after a girl, who is not only his cousin, but also someone who comes from a family of Death Eaters.'

James snorted.

'No wonder she doesn't like to be around me,' he said, before adding, 'and no wonder Sirius was surprised when you told him she spoke to you before.'

'To be fair, I don't think she realized I was Muggleborn,' Lily said, simply.

'So that leaves one question then, doesn't it?' James asked.

'What's that?' Lily questioned, though she was pretty certain she knew what James was going to say.

'Regulus and Sirius both made a point in telling me that they don't know Rosalie. Clearly, they've all known each other for a while,' James mused out loud. 'So the question is, why do they both insist on not knowing her?'

'Maybe you should ask Sirius,' Lily suggested.

James frowned.

'You know, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure Rosalie and Regulus only see each other in private. They tend to separate if anyone sees them together,' James said. 'I can't imagine why they'd do that.'

'I'm sure Sirius knows. He's your best mate, just ask him,' Lily advised.

'I think if Sirius didn't say anything yet, then he wants to be left out of it,' James replied, honestly. 'I could probably get her to tell me though.'

Lily rolled her eyes.

'What makes you think Rosalie would tell _you_?' Lily questioned.

'Fate,' James said, simply.

Lily stared at him, confused, 'what?'

'We were destined to meet,' James explained.

'Er, sure,' Lily replied, humouring him.

'I'm sure it'll all make sense soon,' James said, more to himself than to Lily.

Lily tilted her head to the side as she observed James. She noted how concerned he looked for his best mate's sake and it brought a small smile to her lips. She may have always thought he was an arrogant bully in their early years of Hogwarts, but she never could have denied that when James cared about someone, he always went all out for them. Sure, James and Sirius were a pair of troublemakers but the bond those two shared was like none other she had ever seen. In her mind, they truly were brothers and she couldn't imagine things any other way.

She in return, had learned to care about James too. Not the way he had always hoped, of course, but they were friends and true ones at that. James had cleaned up his act drastically and made a huge effort in trying to show people that he was a decent, down to earth guy. Lily had always felt hesitant to give James a chance, but as she stood there staring at him now, she wished she had done it sooner. She had always hated how he would run his hand through his hair, making it stick up at the back, as if he'd just woken up or finished flying. Now, she thought it was a rather cute quirk.

James stood just a little bit taller than Lily, but still had every air of confidence in the world. He was thin, but his muscles could be easily seen, even through his robes, from his lengthy days of playing Quidditch. Lily stared past the frames he worse, which he didn't have when Lily first met him but got as the years went by, and looked directly into James's hazel eyes. He didn't always wear his glasses but Lily kept in mind that with or without them, he was still handsome.

James finally caught Lily staring.

'What is it?' He questioned.

She shrugged, 'I think it's sweet how much you care about Sirius.'

James chucked, 'any true friend would act the way I do.'

'I know, but Regulus isn't your problem and neither is Rosalie. Yet you seemed pretty determined to get to the bottom of this...thing,' Lily said, frowning at her choice of words.

'I don't know. Sirius cares a lot about Regulus...even if he doesn't really show it. I rather like him too, so I'd hate to see anything bad happen to him,' James explained. 'This is probably nothing though. Regulus chases every pretty girl he sets his eye on, so I doubt this Rosalie will be much of a problem.'

Lily laughed and rolled her eyes.

'He sounds like Sirius,' she commented. 'Though I suppose he's gotten better as of late. Marly's really into him and he's been so good to her.'

James nods his head in agreement.

'He really likes her,' James informed Lily. 'I just don't know if they're right for each other.'

Lily frowned at him, clearly disagreeing.

'What do you mean?' Lily questioned. 'I mean if Sirius actually likes her... and it seems like he does, then – '

James cuts her off.

'You just don't know Sirius like I do. Don't get me wrong, I adore Marlene...I just don't think she and Sirius are right together, that's all.'

'Let's go to the Astronomy Tower,' Lily said, changing the topic. 'There are always people there, staying up past curfew.'

James followed Lily in silence, thinking that he probably shouldn't have brought anything up. Lily and Marlene have been roommates for years and were really great friends, but all James did was tell her the truth. It wasn't as if he wanted to see Marlene get her heart broken and hey, it was just _his _opinion. It didn't mean he'd end up being right and it wasn't if he was going to tell Sirius what he thought.

James resisted the urge to snort as he started climbing up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. As if he needed to add girls to his already long list of things he had to juggle. Though, as he stared at Lily once more, he couldn't help but think he'd be more than willing to add just one more thing.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that. Next chapter involves some Quidditch and the full moon! Until next time, then. Thanks for reading!

- Rosalie Black


	3. Author's Note

Dearest Readers,

I feel just awful writing this, especially because I remember a time when I swore I'd never do this but it has to be done. For those of you who actually followed my stories all this time, I want to thank you sincerely from the very bottom of my heart. For those who are still waiting for the latest chapter, I'm truly sorry for the long wait. Looking back at the past few chapters, all I've done is apologize for the long wait and it isn't fair. I remember when I used to follow stories religiously and write just as religiously, so I do have an idea of what it's like. Until recently, I didn't understand how stories were left unfinished. Truth be told, in my head, they aren't. Every detail of each one of my stories is firmly branded into my mind and perhaps that's the reason I'm so okay with this. As of now, however, I don't think I'll be posting any more chapters. I can't say there's any one reason for doing this. There are several factors contributing to my decision. Fanfiction has been a huge part of my life and I'll never forget all the effort and time I've spent either writing it or reading it. Recently, however, I can't seem to appreciate it as much as I did before. Playing with someone else's characters, in someone else's world suddenly felt wrong to me, even if it was just for fun and altogether, with no true purpose. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against fanfiction and those who write it, and I will forever be someone who encourages it. At this point in my life though, it's just not for me. It doesn't appeal to me the same way it used to. Perhaps, one day, I'll change my mind again but for now, I've made my decision. All my stories are officially on hiatus and I'm possibly just eventually deleting my account all together. Looking back at all I've written, I've come to realize that if I were to go back, I'd write it differently anyway. My chapters haven't always come out the way I wanted and for me to just leave them up there for others to find will annoy me to no end. It isn't my best work, it doesn't reflect what I really want to say and therefore, I wouldn't like it up anymore. I really, truly am sorry to all my readers and I want you guys to know how much I've appreciated all your support throughout these past few years. It's time for this to come to an end though. I've spent the past few months trying to write new chapters and while I've accomplished that, it seemed like a chore to me, rather than passion, as it used to be. I've written and rewritten more than I care to recall and I've decided it's time to end this all for good. So once again, I'm sorry. My stories will be in complete and eventually taken down. If I ever have the urge to post them again, they would likely be under a new pen name, with new titles and written differently as well. Though, in all honesty, I don't see that happening. If anything, I'd keep the stories to myself. Once again, thank you for all your support over the years. I'll truly miss many of you and again, I want to say how sorry I am.

Best wishes,

Lady Rosalie B.


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